tuenbull



(ModeL) I 4Sheets- Sheet 1. 1

A. E TURNBULL.

BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

No. 300,742. Patented June 1'7, 1884.

(ModeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' A. E. TURNBULL. BUTTONH0LE ATTAGHMENT- EORSBWING MACHINES. No.300,742. Patented June 17, 1884.

(ModeL) I I 4Sheets-Sheet 3. A. E. TURNB-ULL.

BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES. N0, 300,742. Patented June17, 1884.

(ModeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

' A. E. TURNBULL.

BUTTON HOLE-ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

No. 300,742. Patented June 17, 1884.

N. PKTERS, Fhulolflhognpher, Washin mmmm C- UNIT D STATE PATENT @FFICEQALONZO E. TURNBULL, OFSPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF SIXTY-FIVEONE-HUNDREDTHS TO THE 'ST. JOHN SEWING MACHINE COMPANY, OF

SAME PLACE. v i

BUTTON-HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 300,742, dated June 17,1884. Application filed September I5, 1883. (ModeL) To all whom it mayconcern.-

Be it known that I, A.-E. TURNBULL, of Springfield, in the. county of-Clark and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Button-Hole Attachments for Sewing-Machines; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making a part IO of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is aperspective view of my device from the front. Fig. 2 isa like View ofthe same from the rear. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the upper side of saiddevice. Fig. 4 is a I5 like view of its lower side. Fig. 5 is a frontelevation of the same, a portion of the operating-lever being brokenaway to show more clearly the'parts in its rear. Fig.'6 is a like viewof the opposite side of said device. Fig.

7 is a sectional View upon line at w of Figs. 3, 5, and 6. Fig. 8 is aperspective view of the mechanism for moving the cloth-clamp laterally,the parts. being separated from the bal ance of the device. Fig.9 is alike view of the mechanism employed for producing the feed-motion of thecloth-clamp, the parts being separated from each other. Fig. 10 is aperspective view of the same combined. Fig.

11 is a like view of theparts of the feed-shifting mechanismseparatedfrom each other. Fig. 12 is a like view of the parts of theoperating lever separated from each other, and Fig. 13 is a sideelevation of the same combined.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like 3 5 parts in each of thefigures.

The design of my invention is to furnish in a simple, efficient, andinexpensive form means whereby button-holes may be worked upon any partof a garment; and to this end said 0 invention consists, principally, inthe construction of the frame whereby abundant space is provided forcontaining the fabric while being operated upon, substantially as andfor the purpose hereinafter specified.

5 It consists, further, in the construction and operation of thecloth-clamp, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown.

It consists, further, in the-means employed for giving to thecloth-clamp a laterally-vibratory motion, substantially as and for thepurpose hereinafter set forth.

It consists, further, in the means employed for imparting afeeding-motion to the clothclamp, substantially as and for the purposehereinafter shown and described.

It consists, further, in the means employed for varying thefeeding-motion of the clothclamp, substantially as and for the purposehereinafter specified.

It consists, further, in the means employed for varying the lateralmotion of the clothclamp, substantially as and for the purposehereinafter shown.

It consists, finally, in the construction and combination of the partsof the device, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter setforth.

In the annexed drawings, A represents the base of my device, which has alength of about five inches and a breadth of about two inches. 7c Uponthe bottom face of such part is secured a plate, B, which corresponds tothe usual back slide of a sewing-machine, and may be inserted in placethereof, so as ,to firmly hold the device in place. From the rear sideedge of the base A the plate of which it is formed extends in a curverearward, upward, and for ward, and thence horizontally forward parallel with said base, and about one and one-half inches above the same.Said raised portion or frame A has an equal width and about onehalf thelength of said base.

Extending upward from the inner end of the frame A is a /\-shaped lug,a, which has within its upper end abearing, and may form part of thesame plate, or maybe constructed separately and afterward attached tosaid frame.

' parts are at drical piece, E, which extends from near the front closedend of said tube outward through the rear open end of the same, and uponits rear end has pivoted a four-armed spider, F, which spider, as seenin Fig. 8, has two of its arms, f, extended forward and then laterallyoutward from opposite sides of its center, while the other arms, f,extend rearward and then upward or downward from the upper and lowersides of said center. I The spider F is engaged by means of a U-shapedlever, G, which is pivoted to or upon two lugs, O, which extend upwardfrom opposite sides of the base of the lug O at the rear end of thedevice. Said lever is provided with two arms or pallets, g, which extendinward from the upper and lower edges of its rear end, and have theshape shown in Fig. 7, whereb if said lever is caused to vibrate uponits bearing, the upper pallet, which extends around the upper arm f willengage from the front with said arm and draw said spider and the piece Erearward, while the lower one of said pallets will engage from the rearwith the corresponding arm f and move said parts forward. It isnecessary that the longitudinal movement of the piece E should beproduced by the upward movement of the lever G, for which reason thespider F is oscillated upon its pivotal bearing, so as to alternatelybring its upper and lower arms f into position for engagement with thepallets g, by means of two additional pallets, g, which pro ject inwardfrom opposite sides of each lever and engage with the lateral arms f ofsaid spider. Said pallets g are placed in such relation to the pivotalbearing of said lever as to cause one to engage with its arm f only whensaid spider F and piece E are at the front limit of their motion, andthe opposite pallet, g, to engage with its arm f when said the rearlimit of their motion, such engagements being had upon the downwardstroke of said lever. As thus arranged, it will be seen that at eachdownward movement of the lever G one of its pallets, y, will engage withan arm, f, and turn the spider a sufficient distance to bring one of thearms f,

into line with its pallet 9, so that upon the upward movement of saidlever the latter will engage with said arm f and move said spider in onedirection, while upon the next downward movement of said lever theposition of said spider will be changed to bring its opposite arm f intoengagement, the result being that at each upward movement of saiQleversaid piece E will be moved longitudinally in one direction to the limitof its motion. The lever G extends forward of the front end of the tubeD, and at its end is adapted to engage with the needle-bar of asewing-machine, from which bar the necessary motion is secured. In orderthat the stroke of said lever may be varied, the portion G, whichengages with said needle-bar,is constructed separately, and at or nearits longitudinal center is pivoted upon the front end, at the outer sideof said lever G, and at its rear end is provided with an elongatedopening, which passes over an eccentric, 9, that is journaled upon theaxial bearing of said lever. By the rotationv of said eccentric the rearend of said part G is raised or lowered with relation to said part G,and its front end correspondingly lowered or raised, the constructionenabling the desired adjustment to be effected.

Secured to the front end of the hollow shaft or tube D is acloth-holder, which consists of two curved plates, H and H, that arehinged or otherwise joined at their upper ends, and the lower one atsuch point is provided with a lug, h, which extends laterally towardsaid tube D, and thence downward across its end. Said plates or jaws areeach provided with a longitudinal slot, h, through which the fabric tobe sewed may be operated upon, and the metal of the upper jaw, H, at thesides of its slot, is preferably turned downward through the slot in thelower jaw, H. Above the slot h the plates H and H have oppositelyoutward and then inward curves, so as to produce at such point aconsiderable space for containing such portion of the fabric beingoperated upon as may be necessary. Said plates or jaws are closedtogether to clamp the work by means of a cam-lever, I, which is pivotedupon the lug h, and is arranged to impinge upon a lug, it, that projectsoutward from said upper jaw, H.

For feeding the work beneath the needle, I secure upon the tube D, nearthe rear bearing, 0, a disk, K, preferably made in two sections, in theperiphery of which is provided a circumferential groove, k, thatreceives a strap or yoke, L, which loosely fills said groove.

From the upper side of the strap L an arm, 1, extends upward andfurnishes a bearing for a semicircular tappetpiece, M, which piece isloosely fitted over said arm and is held in place thereon in a line withthe periphery of the disk K by means of a pin, m, that passestransversely through said tappet-piece and arm. A slot, 1, is madethrough the arm 1, to allow the passage of pin m. A nut, m, fitted uponthe upper threaded portion of said arm, operates to hold thetappet-piece in vertical position thereon. A rounded rib or projection,m, is provided on the top of the tappetpiece, and extending in adirection thereon parallel to the pivot-pin m. A washer, m, on the armZ, between the nut m and the tap- .pet-piece, bears upon the rounded ribor projection m Such construction is to allow of the rocking of thetappet-piece.

Within the lower side of the tube D, between the disk K and frontbearing, a, is provided an opening, (I, which has a width of aboutone-third of an inch, and circumferentially extends about one-half wayaround said tube. 1

Pivoted to the lower side of the piece E, within the opening d, is alever, N, which has the form shown in Fig. 11, and has attached to itslower side a vertical stud, n, that carries a plate, 0, upon its lowerend. To the lower face of said plate are secured two springs, 0, whichextend beneath the strap L, and have their free ends in engagement withopposite sides of a lug, Z, that extends downward from said strap. Saidsprings are arranged so that their free ends have an inward pressure,and between the same, near their said ends, is a lug, 0, which extendsdownward from said plate '0 and limits such inward motion.

Pivoted at one end to or upon the raised portion A of the frame A is asecond lever, P, to which, between its free end and pivotal bearing, ispivoted the outer end of the lever N by means of a screw, 11, thatpasses through an elongated opening, a, in the latter and has itsthreaded end contained within a correspondingly-threaded opening in saidlever P.

In order to regulate the throw of the lever P, and consequently thelength of the stitch sewed, a plate, Q, provided with a longitudinalslot, q, is secured upon the frame-plate A by means of a screw, q, whichpasses through said slot into said frame-plate. The end of said plate Qadjacent to the side edge of said lever is rounded and forms a stop,against which said lever impinges, so that by moving said plate nearerto or farther from said lever the latter will have correspondingly lessor more freedom of motion.

The sides of the lever G are extended forward beneath and adapted toengage with the ends of the tappet-piece M, when the operation of thefeed mechanism is as follows, viz: The lever P, being moved to one side,carries with it the lever N and turns the plate 0 so as to cause itssprings 0, operating upon the lug Z, to turn the strap and cause one ofthe ends of the tappet-piece M to be lower than the opposite end, and tobe in position for engagement by the adjacent side of the lever G. Asthus arranged, at each upward movement of the lever G the lowest arm ofthe tappetpiece M will be engaged, and the latter, together with thestrap L, will be turned a short distance around the axis of the tube D,and in consequence of the rocking of said tappetpiece upon the arm Z itscentral part will bite upon the periphery of disk K and move the same,said tube D, and the cloth-holder H in the same direction. To reversethe feed, the lever P is moved in an opposite direction, so as todepress the other arm of the tappetpiece M, when the parts will operateas before, but in the reverse direction.

In consequence of the U form of the frame of the device, so much spaceis left between the base and the operative mechanism as to enable alarge quantity of cloth to be contained within said frame in rear of theneedle, and to render practicable the operation upon portions of agarment which have heretofore been beyond the reach of button-holesewing-machines.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, whatI claim as new 1. In a button-hole attachment for sewingmachines, theelevated frame, upon which is carried the operative mechanism supportedfrom and above the base-plate by a standard extending upward from theplate, so that a clear space is left between the frame and plate for thefabric being operated upon, substantially as specified.

' 2. In a button-hole attachment for sewingmachines, the frame uponwhich the operative mechanism is carried, supported upon the base-plateof the attachment by a curved U-shaped standard or flange arising fromthe said base-plate, and forming thereby a construction adapted to allowfree passage of the fabric being operated upon between such frame andplate, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a button-hole attachment for sewing machines, a clothclamp curvedlongitudinally upon a circular line, in combination with means formoving it lengthwise around the axis of its curvature, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

4. In a button-hole attachment for sewingmachines, a clothclamp composedof two plates, which at one end are hinged or otherwise connectedtogether, and at such end are curved outward and away from each other tofurnish space for the reception of the fabric to be operated upon, andtoward their free ends are curved inward toward each other, incombination with means for bringing their free ends together to clampthe fabric, substantially as and-for the purpose shown.

5 The hereinbefore-described cloth-clamp,

consisting of the plates H H, hinged or otherwise connected together,curved outward from each other at their connected ends, and then inwardtoward each other, and provided with slots h near their free ends, incombination with the cam-lever I, adapted to bring their free endstogether to clamp the cloth, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

6. In combination with the cloth-clamp described, the axial bearingtube'D, the cylindrical piece E, the spider F, having the arms f and f, andthe lever G, provided with the pallets g and g, substantially as and forthey purpose set forth.

7. As a means for feeding the cloth-clamp longitudinally, the tube D,provided with the opening (Z, the grooved disk K, the strap L, havingthe radial arm Z andlug Z, the tappetpiece M, the lever N, provided withthe stud a, the plate 0 and spring 0, the lever P, and the lever G, allcombined to operate substantially as and for the purpose shown anddescribed.

S. In combination with the grooved disk K, the strap L, having arm Z,the tappet-piece M, pivotally attached to and adapted to rock on thearm, and to bear against the periphery of the disk as it is rocked, andthe nut m on the arm above the tappet-piece, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

9. In combination with the grooved disk K,

the strap L, having arm Z, the tappet-piece M,

IO angles of the lever G and the supplemental part G, which is pivotedthereon, and is provided at its inner end with the elongated opening theeccentric g, journaled upon said lever G, and working within saidopening I 5 substantially as and for the purpose shown.

11. The hereinbefore-described button-hole attachment forsewing-machines, in which the frame, the cloth-clamp, and the vibratingand feeding mechanism are constructed and combined to operate in themanner and for the 20 purpose substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this3d day of September, 1883.

ALONZO E. TURNBULL.

Witnesses:

WM. M. RooKEL, CHAS. L. Boers:

